What Is Holy Communion?

This "sermon" was a bit different. We had six readers sharing the bold parts, which were taken from the United Methodist doctrinal paper entitled This Holy Mystery. You can read that document here. After each reading, I followed with preaching commentary on the areas of thanksgiving, community, remembrance, sacrifice, the activity of the Holy Spirit and eschatology. Enjoy!

In the New Testament, at least six major ideas about Holy Communion are present: thanksgiving, fellowship (community), remembrance, sacrifice, action of the Holy Spirit, and eschatology. A brief look at each of these will help us better comprehend the meaning of the sacrament.

One name for Holy Communion is Eucharist, which means “an act of thanksgiving”. The early Christians “broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:46-47). As we commune, we express joyful thanks for God’s mighty acts throughout history—for creation, covenant, redemption, sanctification. Holy Communion is an opportunity to recite this grand salvation history, culminating in the work of Jesus Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. It conveys our gratitude for the goodness of God and God’s unconditional love for us.

If there is one attitude that should define the manner in which we come to the table, it would be gratitude. It’s not about calculating our sinfulness or expressing our unworthiness (although these can lead to gratitude) that makes Holy Communion so special, but it’s the consideration of God’s love toward us. Listen to these words: “You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away and our love failed, your love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity and made covenant to be our sovereign God.” Without God, we have no life. Every breath we take is a gift. And we have failed God, but God has not failed us! God has and will remain steadfast regardless of how we choose to live our lives. That is why we give thanks. Communion is about giving thanks.

Holy Communion is the communion of the church—the gathered community of the faithful, both local and universal. While deeply meaningful to the individuals participating, the sacrament is much more than a personal event. The first person pronouns throughout the service are consistently plural—we, us, our. First Corinthians 10:17 explains that “because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” Holy Communion is an opportunity to explicitly proclaim our Christian unity in the body of Christ. The sharing and bonding experienced at the Table exemplify the nature of the church and model the world as God would have it be.

Is there anything more prophetic than unity in the midst of diversity? In a world of us vs. them, conservative vs. liberal, Republicans vs. Democrats, traditional vs. contemporary, saint vs. sinner, secular vs. sacred, Judas and Peter, Holy Communion stands as a bridge between people of all walks of life and the God who has uniquely created each of us and has worked for our redemption. When we come the Table, we see firsthand Paul’s image of the Body of Christ: preachers and musicians, pray-ers and coffee makers, secretaries and greeters, treasurers and teachers. Around the Table, “I” and “Me” give way to “we and us.” Walls are torn down. Dividing lines are shattered. Diversity becomes not what separates us, but what makes us stronger and beautiful together. Like a stained glass window, we need the beauty of diverse gifts to shine our brightest for God’s glory. We can’t do it all alone, nor were we made to do it all alone. We are all in this together. I need you. You need me. And we all need the presence of Jesus. This is Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is remembrance, commemoration, and memorial, but this remembrance is much more than simply intellectual recalling. “Do this in remembrance of me” is anamnesis (“an um knee sis” the biblical Greek word). This dynamic action becomes re-presentation of past gracious acts of God in the present, so powerfully as to make them truly present now. Christ is risen and is alive here and now, not just remembered for what was done in the past.

In Revelation, we read these words: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Jesus is not a biblical character preserved in the pages of an ancient book, but a God who is living and active today. The popular song says, “My God’s not dead, he is surely alive and he’s living on the inside, roaring like a lion!” We worship a living God, not a dead deity! When we gather around this table, we remember that night long ago, but in that remembering, Christ himself meets with us in the moment. We recall what God has done in Christ Jesus, and as we do, we are made aware of Christ’s active presence in our world and look forward to the coming promises of the Kingdom of God. Jesus WAS, IS and ALWAYS WILL BE. Communion reminds us what Jesus HAS done, compels us to see what Jesus IS doing and draws us to hold on with hope to the promises of what he WILL do.

Holy Communion is a type of sacrifice. It is a re-presentation, not a repetition, of the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 9:26 makes clear that “he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Christ’s atoning life, death, and resurrection make divine grace available to us. We also present ourselves as sacrifice in union with Christ (Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5) to be used by God in the work of redemption, reconciliation, and justice. In our service, the church prays: “We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us . . .”  

When we gather around the table, we remember how Christ presented himself to God on our behalf. We call this “atonement.” In that great self-sacrifice on the cross, Jesus carried our sin on his shoulders and became a sort of “sacrificial lamb.” In the Old Testament, we read about the “scapegoat,” which carried away the sins of the people. Likewise, Jesus carried away our sin through his death. The death he died, he died once and for all, never again needing to be repeated.  When we recall Christ’s sacrificial death, we are prompted to come alongside and offer ourselves in life-giving ways. We don’t physically die, but we do “die to ourselves and take up our crosses” in order to love and serve God and others. In this way, Communion invites us to once again join hands with Jesus and accompany him in his mission.

Holy Communion is a vehicle of God’s grace through the action of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), whose work is described in John 14:26: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” The epiclesis ( “ep uh klee sis” biblical Greek meaning calling upon) is the part of Holy Communion that calls the Spirit: “Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.” We ask God to “make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world . . .”

Holy Communion is not a dead and meaningless ritual; it is a channel of grace through which God strengthens us and sustains us on the journey of faith. As soon as the Last Supper concluded, every single disciple walked away from Jesus. Judas betrayed him; Peter denied him; the others ran away not wanting to be arrested. But it was the Holy Spirit who called them back, set their feet once again upon the right path and empowered them to be who God created them to be. As we encounter Christ in Holy Communion and are touched by divine grace, we are progressively shaped into Christ’s image. All of this work is not done in a moment, no matter how dramatic an experience we may enjoy. It is, instead, a lifelong process through which God intends to shape us into people motivated by love, empowered and impassioned to do Christ’s work in the world. It is through the Spirit that we are not only made right with God, but one with him. It is through the Spirit that we are called back to Christ and made new. It is through the Spirit that we achieve unity by learning to say, “I’m sorry. I love you. I forgive you.” And it is through the Spirit that we permit Jesus to continue his ministry in the world by living and reigning in and through us. All this we proclaim when we take up the invitation to receive the bread and the cup.

Holy Communion is eschatological, (“es cat uh logical”- meaning that it has to do with the end of history, the outcome of God’s purpose for the world—“Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again” We commune not only with the faithful who are physically present but with the saints of the past who join us in the sacrament. Their lives stand as a testimony that God is not done, that God is always faithful! To participate is to receive a foretaste of the future, a pledge of heaven “until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.” Christ himself looked forward to this occasion and promised the disciples, “I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Mark 14:25). When we eat and drink at the Table, we become partakers of the divine nature in this life and for life eternal (John 6:47-58; Revelation 3:20). We are anticipating the heavenly banquet celebrating God’s victory over sin, evil, and death. In the midst of the personal and systemic brokenness in which we live, we yearn for everlasting fellowship with Christ and ultimate fulfillment of the divine plan. Nourished by grace, we strive to be formed into the image of Christ and to be made instruments for transformation in the world.

Holy Communion does not culminate with our receiving of Christ, but in our sharing of Christ with the world. In many ways, we could mark the journey of Holy Communion in the following way: We are INVITED, we RECEIVE, we are SENT. Jesus proclaims in Revelation that he is making “all things new,” and until all things are made new, Christ will continue his ministry through his body, the Church, US! Through the bread and the cup, we receive healing and are enabled to aid in the healing of others. Sozo, the root of the Greek word used in the New Testament for healing, is also translated as salvation and wholeness. Much of this healing is spiritual, but it also includes the healing of our thoughts and emotions, of our minds and bodies, of our attitudes and relationships. The grace received at the Table of the Lord can make us whole. As those who are being saved, we seek to bring healing to a broken world. The grace we receive at the Lord’s Table enables us to perform our ministry and mission, to continue his work in the world—the work of redemption, reconciliation, peace, and justice (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). As we commune, we become aware of the worth and the needs of other people and are reminded of our responsibility. We are invited. We receive. And we are sent. This is Holy Communion.